Fakenham Occupation
Fakenham Occupation
Susan Shapiro
Fakenham Occupation is Susan Shapiro’s first film. The film documents the occupation of a factory in Fakenham, Norfolk, in the typical »direct cinema style« of the time. When Sexton’s Shoe Factory was threatened with closure, around 20 female workers took over and occupied the factory, as the 60 or so almost exclusively female employees had no alternative job opportunities in this rural part of England. After an 18-week strike, they succeeded in continuing the production of leather goods as a cooperative.
Susan Shapiro
Susan Shapiro was a member of the London Women’s Film Group, founded in 1971, which produced a series of highly influential films between 1971 and 1976. Shapiro was the creator of the film Rapunzel, which was the first film by a woman in England to receive major financial support from the BFI. After completing Rapunzel, she worked as an assistant editor at the BBC before moving with her family to Los Angeles. There, she completed a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science and subsequently worked in a variety of museums, film archives, and universities in Los Angeles.
Films by Susan Shapiro
Rapunzel 1978 (with Esther Ronay und Francine Winham), About Time 1976, Whose Choice 1976, The Amazing Equal Pay Show 1974, Put Yourself in My Place 1974, Betteshanger Kent, 1972 1972, Serve and Obey 1972, Miss/Mrs 1972, Women of the Rhondda 1972 (all with the London Women’s Film Group)
